As Long As I Have You
by karie2055
Summary: Gray has finally moved on from his past and he has not regretted it. Lucy makes him so happy, he could just sing. But when an old face from his past comes back to haunt him, will he be able to protect Lucy and keep her safe? Or will she distance herself from him when she learns of his past? Sequel to Found. Rated T: For Language and Suggestive Themes. (On hiatus for now)
1. Everything Has Changed

**Hello, guys! I'm back with the sequel to "Found." I hope you guys enjoy this sequel as much as you did to "Found."**

* * *

Chapter 1

 _ **Everything Has Changed**_

 _'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."  
And your eyes look like coming home  
All I know is a simple name,  
Everything has changed  
All I know is you held the door  
You'll be mine and I'll be yours  
All I know since yesterday is  
_ _ **Everything has changed**_

 _ **-**_ **Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran**

* * *

She looked around the bar as she laughed at Natsu's joke. The atmosphere was completely different from the one last year. Last year she was down, cold and heartbroken, but not this year – this year she was exultant, full of joy and there was nothing that could bring her down.

"Hey, here's your drink," said a voice from behind her as a hand placed her drink in front of her.

"Thanks, Gray," she replied with a smile as she turned around lightly and kissed his cheek. Yeah, this was completely different from last year.

Her boyfriend's cheeks darkened in color. He had yet to get used to how affectionate his girlfriend was in public, but he was working on it.

"You missed it, Ice-Freak!" exclaimed Natsu when he saw Gray next to Lucy. "I just told the best joke ever!"

"It wasn't that good, Salamander," chuckled Gajeel.

"Shut up!"

He also wasn't used to being part of such a close group. The only friend he had ever had from childhood was Lyon, and that was still a work in progress even after a year, there was still some unsaid tension between the two.

Who would have known that the blonde he had found in the rain twelve months ago would become his girlfriend two months later and he would be here with her in the very same reunion she had left in distraught.

Things had changed, and neither minded, they were just happy. But even with these changes, they were still cautious of one another. They didn't want a repeat of their last relationship, Lucy more than Gray.

Yes, Gray was different from Richard in more ways than one, but she had a feeling there was something he was hiding from her. She didn't know what it was, but it was there. She had a similar feeling when she had been together with her ex-boyfriend and she had chosen to ignore it. Luna was right, always follow your intuition, women really did have a sixth sense.

Lucy took a sip from her Pomegranate Margarita. It was sweet and cold, just like Gray. He would not seem like it from the outside, but he was a really sweet guy. He caught her eye and smirked as he sat down next to her and put his arm behind her seat.

"All right, knock it off you two," said Erza separating Natsu and Gajeel as they started butting heads. "Mira was nice enough to book this place for us again, we don't want to make her angry now do we?"

"N-no, ma'am," they both replied before sitting down next to their perspective partners.

In that moment, Mira came by to check on them. "Everything all right here, guys? Anything I can get you?"

"No, we're good, Mira-nee-chan," answered Lisanna as she leaned on Natsu. "Thanks."

"What about you, Gray?" she asked. "I haven't seen you order anything."

"I'm good, thanks, Mira-san," he said politely. "I'm driving, Lucy home so…"

"Ah, I see," nodded the barmaid. "In that case how about some water?"

"Ice cold, if you wouldn't mind," he added.

"One Ice Water coming right up," she said with wink and walked away.

"You sure you don't want to drink anything?" asked Lucy.

"I'm sure," he reassured her as he started playing with her hair.

She sighed contently as she leaned into him, she really couldn't ask for anything better than this.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to come in?" she asked him as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

He nodded.

"I'm sure, besides I wouldn't want to keep you too long or else your dad will kill me," he said.

"He wouldn't kill you-"

"-Your brother might."

"…okay, so maybe Laxus might, but still!"

He sighed and leaned towards her, his lips almost touching her ear.

"If I keep you any longer, I'm not going to want to let you go," he said huskily before moving back and staring her in the eye.

A shiver went down her spine as her cheeks heated up. Normally by now she would wish him a goodnight and dash for her door, but maybe it was the alcohol in her system that made her do something otherwise.

"Maybe I don't want you to let me go," she answered while looking at him directly in the eye.

A small flash crossed his eyes before he closed the distance between the two and crashed his lips into hers. He could still taste the sweetness of her Pomegranate Margarita as well as the sweet taste that made her Lucy. When he pulled back, she followed his lips until they were connected once again. She couldn't get enough of him, he was her drug and she was addicted, she couldn't stop. But she had to, and she knew that.

When she pulled back due to lack of oxygen, she whispered to him. "I love you."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Luce."

She smiled and pecked him once more on the lips. "See you tomorrow for wedding rehearsals?"

"I don't think I'll be able to go, sweetheart," he said. "I have to finish some last minute preparation for tomorrow, but I'll pick you up."

She smiled before giving one more kiss. "Okay, goodnight."

"Night," he said as he watched her leave his car and walk towards the door of her house.

When she turned around to face him, he grinned and waved in her direction. He stayed there until she entered the safety of her home before hitting his head against the wheel his car.

"Really, Gray? ' _Last minute preparations_?' Really?" he murmured to himself before he pulled out of the drive way and drove out of the estate. "Anymore and you would be giving away the surprise," he said to himself as he turned into the road and drove home.

When he reached his house, he was greeted by the sight of a red car parked outside his driveway.

' _Great,_ ' he thought a bit bitterly. His sister's boyfriend was here. Don't get him wrong, he liked the guy, but that he liked him with his sister was a different story. Then again, no one would be good enough for either of his sisters. But as luck would have it, his sister's boyfriend would be somehow related back to Lucy.

It wasn't until he met him face to face a couple of months after he first started going out with Lucy that he realized Ultear's mystery man was none other than Siegrain Fernandes, Jellal's older brother.

The two looked so much alike he was surprised he didn't say something insensitive to the older man. It was good thing Lucy had been there when they had been introduced or else the whole night would have turned into a horrible ordeal. It wasn't until he started hanging out more with Jellal that he noticed the difference the subtle difference between the two.

Jellal's hair was a shade darker than Siegrain's and Siegrain was slightly taller than Jellal. While Jellal seemed quiet in comparison to his older brother, it never stopped them when they were having a rather placid argument, rare as they were, they still occurred.

Gray parked his car and went inside to greet his sisters and their guest.

"I'm home," he said with a small smile.

"Welcome home," answered his older sister with a smile.

"Thanks," he said taking off his shoes and putting on a pair of slippers. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"Yeah," she answered cuddling closer to her boyfriend on the couch. "We left you some lasagna just in case in the fridge."

"Thanks, I'll take it to work tomorrow," he said walking behind them and into the kitchen.

As he grabbed a glass of water, he could hear the movie they were watching and the laughter that followed. He filled his glass before walking out again.

"Are you guys watching The Lego Movie?"

"Yeah," they answered.

He shook his head before making his way up the stairs. "Don't stay up too late," he murmured knowing full well his sister heard him.

"Alright, _dad,_ " she replied with a smirk as she heard him stomp up to his room.

Gray passed by Wendy's room to check up on her. It wasn't that late, but his younger sister had a habit of going to bed early. So it surprised him to find the light still on.

He knocked on the door lightly.

"Wendy? Mind if I come in?"

There was a light shuffle that made him lean into the door to listen to what was happening inside.

" _Oh, I have to go,_ " he heard her whisper. " _Gray-nii-chan is home._ "

A slight pause.

" _Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, bye._ "

He waited before knocking once more.

"Wendy?"

Wendy opened up the door at once with light tinted cheeks.

"Sorry, Gray-nii-chan, I had my earphones on, I thought I was just imagining things."

He nodded and walked towards her desk. There was a neat stack of papers on her desk, which he assumed were her study guides for her exams.

"How was your final for Biology?" he asked picking up a paper and skimming through the contents.

Biology had never been his thing in high school, but he did remember a couple of things here and there.

"I think I did fine," she answered honestly. "There were some questions that were kind of hard to understand and others just didn't make sense," she said shaking her head.

Gray put the paper back while nodding. He wanted to ask who she was on the phone with, but knew that doing so would lead to him admitting that he had been listening in on her conversation.

"Is there anything you need, Gray-nii-chan?"

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"No," he said and patted her head. "It's fine. I was just checking in on you."

She returned his smile wholeheartedly.

"Goodnight, Wendy," he said closing the door behind him.

"Goodnight, Gray-nii-chan," she replied.

She was hiding something; there was no doubt about it. He wanted to know what it was, but he didn't have the right to, after all, he had hidden something from her as well, even if it had been a long time ago.

He trudged back to his room with many thoughts running through his head, but the one that stuck him the most was the thought of having more secrets in his family.

* * *

Lucy stared at her ceiling, she had a feeling that Gray was hiding something from her. She didn't know if it was good or bad, but she believed in him. When the time was right, he would tell her, and she would listen to him wholeheartedly.

However, her thoughts wouldn't stop going back to what happened back in the car. She didn't know what came over her when she said those words, but she truly meant them with all her heart.

She blushed deeply and plopped back in her pillows at the mere thought of the events that had transpired. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.

A knock brought her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she said not bothering to sit up straight.

"Hey," said Luna as she closed the door behind her. "How was the reunion?"

"Great!" she said still laying on her back. "It was the best one so far!"

"That's great news!" said Luna sitting on Lucy's bed. "So why the long face?"

"Huh?"

"You look like you have something on your mind," explained the older woman. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong!" said Lucy as she sat up. When Luna gave her a pointed she sighed and said, "I just feel as if Gray's hiding something from me…"

Luna's eyes flickered for a brief second before she gave Lucy a sincere smile.

"You're just thinking too much about it, and I'm sure that even if he did, he would tell you eventually."

Lucy let out a small sigh of relief.

"You're right," she said flopping back into her pillows. "How was your night?"

Now it was Luna's turn to flop onto Lucy's bed. She groaned as she covered her face with her hands.

"Remind me again why I'm marrying your brother?" her voice muffled by her hands.

Lucy giggled as she sat up once more and started playing with Luna's hair that was sprawled across her bed covers.

"Because you love him and he loves you."

She took her hands away from her face and started at the blonde.

"He also cares about you, and I'm pretty sure you're on his mind 24/7. You bring out the best of one another."

Luna smiled a little as she closed her eyes as Lucy ran her fingers across her hair. "Besides you said it yourself. He's _The One_."

The brunette giggled. "Yeah, I guess you got me there…"

"So what happened?" asked Lucy with a hint of a smile.

"Nothing," sighed Luna with closed eyes.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, he has done nothing! No flowers, no hugs, no kisses, no…you know…"

Lucy blushed a deep red.

"T.M.I! _T.M.I_!"

Luna covered her face. "Sorry! But it's true!"

"There are certain things I don't want to know about my brother and this is one of them!"

"I'm sorry! But who else am I supposed to turn to? He's _your_ brother!"

"Yes, but he's _your_ fiancé!"

"…"

The two stayed quiet for a while.

"Have you and Gray…you know…"

"N-no!"

"Really? But it's been almost a year! And your both in your twenties…does he not see you as a woman?"

"No! No, it's nothing like that! Believe _me_ , he does see me as a woman, but we just haven't gotten there. He lives with his sisters, I live with my dad…you see where I'm going with this?"

"No love hotel?"

"N-no," she murmured as her face grew darker and darker with color. "It would be too embarrassing…"

Luna giggled as she sat up and hugged the younger woman. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm just teasing."

"A little too much," she mumbled as she drifted into Luna's arms. There was always a sense of security in them, and she knew that as long she had this, there was nothing to fear. Maybe she was just getting scared because things were going so well. But she had nothing to fear, right?

* * *

 **It's a bit shorter than what I wanted, but I hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review to let me know what you think of the first chapter :)**

 **~Karie**


	2. Things Are Looking Up

Chapter 2

 ** _Things Are Looking Up_**

 _Things are lookin' up  
I couldn't find the star in the sky,  
But now that I found us  
Things are lookin' up, even when I'm down  
Had about enough, lookin' at the ground  
I couldn't find the star in the sky,  
But now that I found us  
 **Things are lookin' up**_

 **-R5**

* * *

Gray kept tapping his foot impatiently as he ate breakfast, much to the annoyance of his older sister.

By the twentieth tap, she snapped. She slammed her fork down. "Will you knock it off?" she growled.

He simply looked up, unaware of his actions until the glare from his sister made him apologize.

"Sorry," he said looking down and eating slower than before trying to figure out what made his sister snap so early in the morning. Was it a fight with her boyfriend? No, they seemed fine last night. Did he forget her morning coffee? No, the cup was right in front of her. Maybe he forgot to put in the extra cream and sugar, but he was so sure he-

"It's going to be fine," she cut off his thoughts making him look back up. "The deal has been done, and you did ask her father, which I still find weird by the way," she said pointing her fork at him off handedly.

He chuckled. "Better safe than sorry," he said before taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm just glad it was Jude-san and not Laxus-san."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Jude-san, huh? Since when are you on first name terms with your boss's boss' boss?"

"It only happened a couple of months ago," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"A _couple_ of months ago?"

"Two or three, give or take," he said continuing to eat his breakfast. "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"As your older sister, I _always_ have an interest in your love life."

He nodded before his thoughts drifted back to his plans for today.

* * *

Lucy rolled her head back as she sat her seat as she watched Luna circle around Erza while talking to the seamstress.

Don't get her wrong, she loved the planning that went on with the wedding, she had even volunteered to help, but today, she just wasn't feeling it.

"I still think a strap should be added here, Miss," commented the seamstress with her heavy Spanish accent.

"I know, but I think it would look too odd if we did that, plus it would be the only one with a strap…"

They were getting their dresses fit and so far they had been stuck on Erza's dress, although for the right reasons.

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed the seamstress as she grabbed a piece of fabric and covered the top of Erza's chest. "If we do this, then the dress can keep it is original design and I can do it for the others in no time!"

Luna clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful, Marta! _Muchas gracias!_ "

" _De nada, Se_ _ñorita Luna,_ " replied Marta with a smile. "Anything for my favorite costumer!"

Luna giggled.

"Alright, next is Lucy," she said and turned to the blonde who was more than happy to get up from her seat. She circled around the blonde before stopping. "Spin for me, please."

Lucy did a small twirl and waited.

"How does it fit?"

"It's a little tight up here," mentioned Lucy as she indicated to her chest.

Marta hummed in response as she approached her. "Yes, I see," she took her measuring tape and measured the distance from Lucy's shoulder to her chest. "Yes, I miscalculated by 2 centimeters and a half."

"Will it be a problem?"

"No, I should be able to have it ready by the next fitting in 3 months along with the other dresses."

"Okay, perfect!"

"What about you, Luna?" asked Lucy.

"What about me?"

"Aren't you getting your dress fitting today?"

"No," she shook her head as she sat down on Lucy's previously occupied chair. "Mine is next week, plus I didn't want to overstress you guys."

The girls went into their different changing rooms as Luna waited outside and talked to Marta about the cost of the extra alterations.

Lucy looked at the time on her phone as she stepped out of her room. It was only 12, there was still another 3 hours until the wedding rehearsal, maybe she could go see Gray for lunch. She shook her head as she put her phone away. No, if he was free he would have texted her or called her, so she assumed that he must be busy with whatever "last minute preparations" he had.

She sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Erza as she came out of her dressing room.

"Nothing, why would you say that?"

"You've been sighing for a while now."

"I have?"

"Yeah," nodded Levy. "Are things okay with you and Gray?"

"Yeah, everything's fine – come on guys, you saw us together last night!"

"Yes, but still!"

"Where is he anyway?"

"Who?" asked Luna as she approached the group.

"Gray," answered Erza.

"Oh, he told me he was attending to some last minute things so he wouldn't be able to make it to the rehearsal."

Erza shook her head. "I still can't believe you managed to talk Laxus into getting Gray to be part of his groomsmen."

"I didn't do anything," she said with a mischievous smile. "Laxus always liked Gray; he's just too stubborn to admit it."

The girls giggled.

"That's Laxus-san for you," said Levy as the group walked out of the store laughing.

* * *

Gray shook hands with the older man. "Thank you so much," he said when he let go.

"None at all, Fullbuster-kun," replied a man in his mid-50s. "Although, I was sure you would sign the contract in two months like we had agreed."

Gray chuckled. "Yeah, I thought so too," he said as they walked out of the office. "But even though it's a surprise, I don't think I could keep it a secret anymore from her. She's starting to get weary of me."

"Oh, that's never good," said the old man good-heartedly. "I remember one time my wife thought I was cheating on her when I was working extra hours to surprise her with a trip to France!" he laughed.

"I'm not sure how I'll present it to her, but I'll think of something tonight."

"Good luck, Fullbuster-kun," said the old man as he waved goodbye to Gray from the door of his office.

Gray looked at the time on his phone. He had just enough time to get back to work and maybe send a simple text to Lucy.

He got into his car and sent his girlfriend a simple text message:

-Hey, do want to have dinner tonight at my house?

He pressed send before starting the engine. It hadn't been a second later when he got a reply.

 _-Sure! :) What time?_

-Same time as always, 7 pm.

 _-Perfect! See you then ;)_

He smiled and maneuvered his car out of the parking lot and into the main street.

* * *

"So what did he say?" asked Luna as she took another bite of her salad.

"Who?" asked Lucy.

The girls giggled.

"Gray," answered Lisanna. "Who else?"

"How did you know it was him?"

"Because you still get that dreamy-happy look on your face," replied Erza as she cut her steak.

"I do not!" denied the blonde as her face turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed off, Lu-chan," said Levy.

"Yeah," nodded Luna. "Take it from Levy, it's been seven years since she and Gajeel have been together and they still act as if nothing has changed!"

"Luna-san!" blushed Levy almost dropping her fork.

"You're one to talk, Luna," teased Lisanna. "You're about to get married and still act as if you were back in high school."

"For your information," she said with a knowing smile as she reached for her glass of water. "Nothing really _has_ changed from high school."

"Yeah, except that you just suck each other's faces more discreetly," replied Erza calmly.

The brunette almost choked on her drink. "Erza!" she exclaimed when she got her breath back.

The redhead simply smirked. "Hey, I could have said something worse. Like that time you were both-"

"Okay, I get it," Luna cut her off. "There's no need to go further!"

The girls giggled.

"See, still act as if you were still in high school," said Lisanna.

"Shut up," pouted Luna as she looked anywhere but her bridesmaids although the small glint in her eyes said she was having as much fun as them.

* * *

Lucy stirred the sauce on the pot slowly.

"So are we celebrating anything particularly today?" she asked.

"Not really," he said standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I just wanted to have a taste of your cooking; it's been a while since we ate something _you_ made. After all, you do have a certificate in it," he said before kissing her shoulder.

She giggled before she turned her head towards his and gave him a small peck on the lips.

"You're not hiding anything from me are you?" she asked teasing him.

He tightened his hold on her. "Like what?"

"I don't know," she replied as she turned off the stove. "Maybe you have a child that you never told me about."

"Okay, I may have messed around before we met, but I was always very careful," he replied honestly as she turned around in his arms to face him.

She put her arms around his neck. "And if you did, you would tell me. Right?"

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "Of course," he said pulling away. "You know, you've been watching that show, _Arrow_ , too much."

She giggled. "I can't help it, it's a really good show! Besides, you were the one that introduced me to it," she said punching his arm playfully.

"Hey! That was Wendy's fault! She was the one with the control that day! And you weren't exactly complaining!"

"I never said I was," she answered before giving him one more kiss before she turned around and started serving them. "You know, this would be a whole lot easier if someone would let go of me."

"What if I don't want to?" he replied teasingly, tightening his hold on her to prove his point.

"Then this dinner is going to go to waste," she said wiggling out of his hold and dancing around him to set the food on the table.

He chuckled before he went to the fridge and took out a bottle of wine they had opened the last time they had dinner at his house.

"Do you know what yesterday was?" he asked her as he poured the alcoholic drink into two glasses.

"May 18th?" she replied confused as he placed the two glasses on the table before he stood behind her and pulled out her chair.

"Yes," he dragged out the word. "But no," he said as he pushed in her chair. "Try again."

She hummed while thinking. "Okay, I know it's not our anniversary…"

"Well, it's a type of anniversary," he said as he sat down.

" _Itadakimasu_ ," they said together.

As Gray began to eat the Fettuccini Alfredo in front of him, Lucy furrowed her eyebrows together deep in thought. When it came to her, her eyes grew a bit and her lips formed a perfect "O."

"It's the day we first met," she answered a bit dreamily. "It's been a year since we met," she said with a small smile.

"Ding, ding! We have a winner," he said with a smile.

"And what's my prize?" she asked as she began to twist her fork around the pasta in her plate.

"This," he said taking out a small box from his pants' pocket and presenting it in front of her on the table.

Lucy blinked a couple of times, she wasn't been serious when she asked for a prize.

"What is it?" she asked confused as she took the box in her hands.

It was a small, black box. It was light, and as much as she felt like shaking it, she was afraid of what she would hear if she did.

Her eyes widened.

' _No! This isn't what I think it is, is it?_ ' she thought as she internally panicked.

"Why don't you open it?"

Her heart raced faster than before as she opened the lid slowly with shaky hands. She sighed slowly in relief when she saw that it was a silver key. Now, don't get her wrong, it's not that she didn't _want_ to get married to Gray, but it was a bit too soon for that! She had just found a job as a substitute teacher at an all-girls school, and as much as she loved Gray, she just wasn't ready for marriage – at least not yet.

"A key," she said looking back up at him.

"Yes, a key," he said staring at her reactions. It went from nervous to relief to confusion. "A key to an apartment I rented."

She lifted up an eyebrow. She knew what he was trying to imply, but she wanted to hear it from his lips.

He sighed. He knew that she knew what he was trying to say, and if she wanted him to say it, he would.

"Lucy, would you move in with me?" he asked her with a small smirk on his face.

She paused in her reply and watched as the smirk he had slowly disappeared with each passing second that she took in her reply.

She smiled when she was sure she saw a bit of panic in his eyes. She had tortured him enough for scaring her just moments ago.

"Yes, Gray. I'll move in with you."

* * *

 **The GrayLu Fluff! 3 I had a lot of fun writing the ending of this chapter, and like I promised, I posted it on Christmas ^-^**

 **Merry Christmas, everyone, and Happy Holidays! ^-^**

 **~Karie**


	3. Smile

Chapter 3

 _ **Smile**_

 _And that's why I smile  
It's been a while  
Since every day and everything has  
Felt this right  
And now you turn it all around  
And suddenly you're all I need  
The reason why I  
_ _ **Smile**_

 _ **-**_ **Avril Lavigne**

* * *

It had been a month since Gray's "proposal." She remembered telling her father the news and how delighted he had been to know that she had accepted. He then let it slip out that he had helped Gray look for an apartment. She couldn't believe her ears when she heard him say that with a chuckle. Her father wasn't exactly one to trust anybody, but the fact that he had trusted Gray meant a lot to her.

The next couple of weeks were used to pack the things she would need in their new apartment. She had to narrow it down considering her closet was the size of their new living room. While she had left behind her most garish dresses at home, she still brought one or five in case the time ever came that she would need one. She also made sure to bring the right amount of shoes. She brought her favorite black boots, ten different types of heels, two pairs of sneakers and of course her work shoes – _not_ to be confused with the black pumps she would wear with the cute red dress Erza had bought her for her last birthday.

Gray had rented out a simple one-bedroom apartment with a spacious living room that doubled as a dining area, a small studio, a modern-sized kitchen, and a bathroom that had a bath that also doubled as a shower. It was located close to Mermaid Heel High and a good distance away from _Primrose Hotel_ , making it easier for them to spend some time in the morning together.

Aries had helped provide the items they needed for their kitchen due to the Heartfilia Mansion having one of too many, while Loke called one of his friends who owed him a favor to lend them one of his moving vans. Taurus had made sure to speak with the security in charge of the apartment complex so that Jude Heartfilia wouldn't have to worry about the safety of his beloved daughter and Virgo left behind her personal phone number for Lucy in case she was ever needed.

Natsu and Gajeel had stopped by to help move in the heavy furniture in return for the free food that came with helping out. Levy and Lisanna were helping put everything in place in the study while Erza and Jellal went out to pick up the food they had promised everyone. Luna wanted to help, but she and Laxus had to opt out due to a basketball tournament that same day. Lyon had stopped by for a moment to drop off Juvia, who was now putting things in place in the bathroom.

After everything that had happened, Juvia and Lucy had become good friends. The older woman had helped Lucy visualize a young Gray back in high school. It also helped that she had tons of pictures from who knows where. She dared not ask for the sake of feeling less guilty. Apparently, high school Gray was no different from present Gray…unless you count moody, sarcastic, and a trouble maker different.

Lucy giggled as she put the framed pictures of their families on the wall.

"What are you giggling at?" he asked as he walked towards her.

She smiled and showed him his high school graduation picture.

"You," she answered before moving to the left and placing it next to hers. "I was just remembering the story Juvia-san had told me about you when you were in high school."

"Which one?" he asked cautiously.

"The one where you had skipped your mother's class - even though she was your mother and she saw you earlier that morning."

"Oh, man. I can't believe she remembers that," he said looking down embarrassed. "It was over 10 years ago!"

She laughed. "Juvia-san has an amazing memory," she said before moving around him and leaning down to open a box that said "Fragile."

"Take this to the kitchen, please" she said pointing at it before standing and opening another one.

"Any other story that you know?" he asked as he carefully picked up the box and avoided clashing into Natsu who was carrying one end of their new couch.

"Well," she sang as she pointed to the place where she wanted the couch.

"Please don't tell me there's more," he said as he opened the box once more and placed the dishes inside the cabinets, making sure that they were at a level Lucy could reach.

"Then I won't tell you anything," she said biting back a smile as she joined him in their new kitchen.

"Luce," whined Natsu as he plopped down on the newly placed couch. "When's the food getting here?"

"I don't know," she replied as she washed their silverware. "Why don't you ask Erza?"

"Because I don't want to be yelled at," he replied before rolling off the couch.

Gajeel snickered. "More like you're _afraid_ to call Titania, Salamander."

"Shut up," replied the salmon-head. "Now get up, we still need to get the TV."

The tall brunet grumbled something about not getting a break under his breath before following Natsu out the door.

Lucy dried each fork, knife, and spoon individually while Gray put them away in their right place in a drawer to their left. She hummed a simple tune as she did her task and he listened to her to his heart's content. To think that after today, this would become their routine – or at least he hoped it would.

"Food's here!" announced Jellal as he brought in a box that held the Chinese takeout they had ordered.

"What happened to the drinks?" asked Lisanna as she settled into one of chairs near the kitchen peninsula.

"Erza decided she could handle it," he stated even though he glanced back at the door a bit warily. "Maybe I should go help-"

"Drinks are here."

"-Never mind."

"What? Did I miss something?" she asked settling a box of beer and soda on top of the counter.

"Nope," giggled Lucy as she passed out the small containers. With everyone settled around the peninsula she added, "Thanks again for helping us guys."

She was replied with a chorus of:

"No problem."

"Anything to help."

"It was nothing"

And of course, Gajeel's, "I only came for the food," which earned him an elbow on the side from Levy before saying, "I was only kidding."

The group laughed.

"It's too bad Luna-san had to miss out," said Levy with a small pout.

"I blame Laxus," replied Lisanna while pointing her chopsticks towards her friend.

"What does my brother have anything to do with this?" asked Lucy.

Lisanna shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, he just seemed like the one to blame for everything."

Lucy giggled and soon the conversation shifted on a different matter.

"Aside from connecting the television, I think we're basically done," said Gray before taking a sip from his drink.

"Thank God," sighed Lucy. "But you guys can figure that out, right?"

The guys looked at one another unsurely. The only one who was good with electronics was Laxus, the rest of them…not so much. But of course, not wanting to seem like they couldn't do it, they puffed their chests out and agreed with her.

It was an amusing half hour for the girls as they watched the men in their group bicker like teenage boys over the cables and refusal to use the internet to Google a solution.

"They can somehow set up the Wi-Fi but not the television," murmured Lisanna with a smile.

"Actually, Laxus-san was the one that set it up," said Juvia said as she replied to Lyon's text on her phone. "Juvia saw him setting up the router when she arrived around early noon."

"So he can set up the router but not stay long enough to set up a television?" asked Erza as she flipped through one of Gray's dessert's books.

"I might have begged him to," said Lucy sheepishly as she raised her hand. "I-I needed it to be connected so I could work tomorrow," she explained hastily as the four other woman looked at her with raised eyebrows.

" _If_ you get up from bed tomorrow, Lu-chan," teased Levy before she returned to an old, worn out pink book. "According to this," she said with a teasing smile as she lifted the book so Lucy and the others could see. "You seem to have a _very_ vivid imagination."

The blonde's face transcended different shades of pinks before settling on a bright red. "W-where did you find that, Levy-chan?" she exclaimed as she tried to grab the book from her best friend.

The blue-haired girl giggled and danced away from the blonde's grasp with the book behind her back.

"What is it?" asked Erza.

"No way! Don't tell me that's what I think it is!" said Lisanna with wide eyes.

"Yep," said Levy as she flipped through the pages. "Shall I read the entry from twoa years ago on Valentine's Day?"

"Valentine's Day two years ago?" she murmured before her eyes widened and she jumped across the room. "NO!" screeched Lucy as she grabbed the old book from Levy's hands. "I am _burning_ this thing the next chance I get!" she clutched the book to her chest. "How did you even _find_ this?"

"It was between your Jane Austen collection and Harry Potter Series, nothing like plain sight, huh?" winked the short blue-haired woman. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she replied with a teasing smile as the blonde sat back down.

"And neither will Juvia," added the other blue-haired woman in a low voice before she stood up from her seat as Lucy stared at her with her mouth wide open. "Lyon-sama is waiting for Juvia at the lobby," she said as she walked towards the door making the men pause in their administrations of the television cables. "Thank you for having Juvia over," she bowed her head. "Juvia hopes to see you again soon."

"Wait, I'll go down with you-" said Lucy as she stood up from her seat.

"No, it's all right," she replied with a smile. "I wouldn't want to take you away for too long, Lucy-san," she continued with a wink. "Enjoy the rest of you evening!"

Soon the door was closed and Juvia was no longer inside the apartment.

"I thought you were the only one who read it," hissed Lucy in a low voice so the men wouldn't hear.

"I read most of it," replied Levy with a sheepish smile. "But Juvia-san is the one who found it."

"This is so embarrassing," she murmured before putting her head down on the table.

"Does that mean we can read as well?" asked Lisanna with a teasing smile.

"Lisanna!"

The girls laughed much to Lucy's embarrassment.

* * *

After another hour or so, Gray and the others were finally able to connect the television properly – after another half hour of trial and error that is. The two waved goodbye to their friends as they left and soon they were alone in their new apartment.

All of a sudden, Lucy felt self-conscious and her thoughts went back to the innocent looking old book on their kitchen table. The book wasn't her personal diary, it was more of a book that she used to write some ideas for her stories. Some were more decent than others, and some were more…vivid. All in all, she wanted that thing gone before Gray would take a sudden interest in it.

"I'm going to go take a bath," she said with a red face before practically running to their room. She grabbed her pajamas and rushed towards the bathroom.

Gray watched from his spot as he watched his girlfriend run from one room to the other and simply stared at the closed door to their bathroom. It had taken him a good five minutes before he could regain his composure.

Today would be their first night together… _alone_. Sure, Lucy had spent a couple of nights over at his house before, but it had never been _just_ the two of them. There might have been a couple of close moments, but something always stopped them before they could go any further. He wasn't sure if that was the reason for her sudden tenseness, but he wouldn't put it past her if it was.

He was pretty nervous himself. He loved Lucy, but if she wasn't ready, then he wouldn't push her. He respected her too much to do anything she didn't want to do. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair; he needed to calm down a little. At the rate his mind was going, he would think too much of it before anything even happened.

His eyes landed on the old, pink book laying on top of the kitchen table. He had seen Lucy and the girls talking to one another in low voices, but the fact that with every word spoken the blonde's face would get redder and redder did not go unnoticed by anyone. He was tempted to look through the book's content, but thought better of it. He kept eyeing the book with interest and before he knew it he was holding it and was about to open it.

He forced his hands to keep it closed as he strained his ears to hear for any signs of Lucy leaving the bathroom. The last thing he wanted was to be caught guiltily holding on to the book with no actual excuse. To save himself any trouble, he grabbed the book and took it straight to their small studio, which was converted into a somewhat office for the both. He set it next to her desk which held a box of with files and some notebooks in it.

He walked to their room and look through their drawers for his pajamas. Normally, he would just wear his boxers alone, but because Lucy was acting really nervous and tense, he decided to add a simple loose cotton shirt. When he heard the door to the bathroom open, he left the room and waited for her to step out before speaking.

"I put your book in the study," he said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and entering the bathroom himself.

Lucy's heart beat faster with both terror and love. She always felt her heart beat faster when Gray gave her any form of affection. Although they weren't rare in their relationship, it was reassuring for her to know that her heart would always feel like it was always the first time. But right now, the thought of him reading through what she could only label as "her fantasies" was eating her up.

She was tempted to ask him, but knew that if she did she would probably die of embarrassment before she could even utter a word out. She covered her face as she felt it reddening with every new thought that crossed her mind.

She walked to their room cautiously, as if he would have somehow teleported and was now waiting for her on top of their bed.

Good God, she needed to stop.

She finished drying her hair as she tried to keep her thoughts from spiraling out of control. When she was satisfied, she crawled on their bed and laid on her side. Moments later, she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening making her tense before she forced herself to relax. When Gray's soft footsteps sounded closer, she tried breathing evenly as if she were asleep.

She felt the bed shift down with his weight and tried not to move in any way or form because right now she was too nervous to even think straight. She felt his arms go around her waist and pull her closer to his strong chest. She tried to stop the shiver that involuntarily went down her spine as he dipped his head into the crook of her neck.

He sighed deeply as he pulled her even closer. "I love you," he murmured before lifting his head up and giving her a kiss on top of her head. He pulled back slowly, feeling her soft blonde strands through his fingers. "What would I do without you?" he mumbled before leaning down to kiss the crook of her neck.

However, he was unexpectedly greeted by the touch of her lips against his. He pulled back a bit startled as blood rushed to his cheeks.

"I-I thought you were asleep," he tried to excuse his actions.

She giggled lightly before turning around fully. She reached out to him and pulled him down to meet his lips once more, a smile gracing her beautiful features. "Is this what you do when I'm asleep?" she asked him teasingly when she pulled back.

"Not always," he murmured before kissing her once more. "Sometimes," he said when he pulled back. "I just watch you sleeping."

"Creep," she murmured with a smile. "You're starting to sound a lot like a certain sparkly vampire."

He groaned as he hid his face in the crook of her neck. "I was hoping you wouldn't make that reference."

"Then don't quote crappy literature," she replied as she treaded her fingers through his raven locks.

"Fine," he breathed out as he held her tighter as he felt her shiver against his lips. "You cold?"

"No," she said rather breathlessly before she felt his lips pressed against her skin. She couldn't stop the shivers that followed even if she wanted to. To keep herself from making any noise, she bit her lip and held onto his dark lock tighter.

When he touched a particular spot, she held onto him closer and couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips. He smirked against her skin before rolling on top of her. "I found it," he said huskily. "You're sensitive spot."

She playfully punched him in the chest. "Pervert," she huffed.

He gave her a smirk before he leaned down and claimed her lips with his once more. It was slow, sensual, and there was no rush in his kisses. His hands travelled everywhere while hers trailed to the bottom his shirt before taking it off after much contemplation. When he was relieved of the cotton item, he returned to his ministrations on her as she trailed her fingernails lightly across his back, earning a shiver against her soft hands.

Levy was right. After tonight, there was no way she would even consider getting up tomorrow morning.

* * *

 **Happy Valentine's Day my lovelies, I know that I'm a bit - okay** _ **extremely**_ **late, but I wanted to finish and post this chapter before the day was over. It was originally supposed to be uploaded earlier in the week, but my professors thought it would be hilarious to give me exams all week long.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this little treat.**

 **~Karie**


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